


Melody of Reincarnation

by photonconductor



Category: Stella Glow
Genre: Bonding, Coping, Gen, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Musical Instruments, headcanons abound, pre-chapter 8
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-30
Updated: 2017-08-30
Packaged: 2018-12-21 16:31:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11948190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/photonconductor/pseuds/photonconductor
Summary: With gathering all four Witches together to perform the Anthem, that only leaves little for rest of the 9th to take care of. Alto makes one last trip to Anastasia to deliver the final revision and encounters her playing a melody.





	Melody of Reincarnation

Music was always a strange concept for Alto to form his head around.

While the use of song was forbidden, thanks to God, that didn't mean all remnants of music were erased. People still used instruments and the like, but singing? Anyone knew that was impossible. During his three years of time in Mithra village, he never completely questioned why no one would sing along with the music being performed. Sure, he learned in Sunday school that God punished humanity by taking it away, but he still never paid much attention to the notes and how the tunes went.

Mithra wasn't exactly a place known for it's music, anyway, beyond performances at festivals and such. Only royalty generally got to taste the finer sounds of music. So he had put it out of his mind for the most part.

Since hearing Hilda's song, and awakening to his power of the Conductor, Alto felt much different on the subject. Probably because it was strange to hear a song so beautiful that had so much power to destroy, but the Conductor never really thought much on it. In that time between then and now, however, he had heard all kinds of songs. Songs of hope, songs of wishes, and even songs of worries and strife.

It really made him wonder just what a song like the Anthem would produce. Surely it would be a beautiful one, Alto told himself. All the witches songs were beautiful in some ways... and he would begrudgingly admit that Hilda's was too despite the power to destroy. A song that carried all their hopes and wishes to remove Hilda's crystallization... it was a song with _unimaginable_ power.

It wouldn't be long now, though. With Mordimort joining their ranks, they were all set to go. The only problems was Lisette's voice... but Alto had faith in her. They had all been through a lot in the short span of months together, so of course it would just take her some time. She was just rushing thi--

"--Alto?" Commander Klaus' voice broke through his thoughts like a clean sweep of the sword. Alto blinked hurriedly before snapping his shoulders straight.

"Y-yes, sir?!" Alto said a little too loudly, but the Commander still held his gentle smile as always. The Conductor was always surprised how calm Klaus could be at a time like this. Alto felt anxious already just waiting around. That was apparent by his wandering thoughts.

"Were you listening to what I told you? Don't tell me you are starting to become another Rusty?" Klaus gave a tiny exasperated sigh before the boy shook his head wildly.

"N-No, I'm not going to turn into Rusty! I mean-- no, I was listening!" Alto's words scrambled for some grip, but Klaus merely waved his hand, "Erm-- you wanted me to deliver this to Her Majesty, right?" Alto glanced down at the envelope in his palm. It was padded fairly well, meaning there was a good amount of papers stored inside it. The royal seal was stamped on the back to hold the flap down as well as defining just how important the documents were.

Klaus' words before his mind had wandered had been something about delivering this--the final revision of the Anthem--for Queen Anastasia to look over. Klaus leaned back in his chair with a satisfied smile and nodded once.

"That is correct. Good to see you were paying attention."

"But... is it really okay for me to be taking this to her? Shouldn't you?" Alto asked with uncertainty. Klaus was the Grand Master after all... wouldn't it make more sense for him to deliver it? At that, the blond knight merely shook his head.

"No, I believe the Conductor should have that honor. Even if you are merely a knight, you have put in a great help so that the Anthem can be realized at all." Alto felt suddenly sheepish under his gaze. He felt his shoulders sinking and the back of his neck heating up a little.

"N-No, I didn't really do all that much..." Alto let his free hand rub at the back of his neck. While he had Conducted the witches, it was all their doing not his. The tunings and the conductings were his power, he couldn't deny that, but if it weren't for them the Anthem wouldn't even be a blip on their consciousness. Besides, he had decided long ago to stop Hilda and restore everyone from crystallization. Alto was sure anyone else would have felt the same way. Still, at the Conductor's response, the Grand Master merely shook his head.

"You have done excellent thus far, Alto. Everyone thinks so. You and the rest of the 9th Regiment have all been working hard towards this moment." Klaus stood up at that and gently clapped a hand on Alto's shoulder, "The Conductor delivering the final piece to Her Majesty is a fitting way to put this to rest, don't you think?"

Alto paused in thought, but found he couldn't really find a problem with what he was saying.

"You're right. I'll have this delivered right away then! Thank you, Sir." Alto nodded again, gave his salute to the Commander, and hurried out of the conference room. The fastest way to find Ana--or rather Her Majesty--would to be her throne room. Alto probably would have to go through the guards first, but considering the importance of his documents it wouldn't be too hard.

Despite living here for a few months, Alto still felt utterly small inside the Lambert castle's interior. Getting used to the knights barracks was tough enough, but the castle itself? Alto wasn't sure if he ever would get used to it. However, he did know an easy route to the castle's throne room thanks to the many times they had to report in. Once he arrived, sure enough, there were guards posted at the entrance. They were standing as rigid as ever even when the Conductor approached them.

Alto almost wondered if they fell asleep, until he heard the shift of their armor. They eyed Alto carefully as he made his approach towards them. Alto found he stiffened his shoulders and stood up a little straighter under their gaze.

"State your business." One spoke up and Alto quickly retrieved the papers he had brought. He held them towards the guards, the seal facing upwards.

"I have a message for Her Majesty. I just came to deliver it to her." The two guards exchanged unsure glances between themselves. Alto found his face falling at the same time. Had he said something wrong? He was sure he wasn't a suspicious looking character. They stared at each other for a moment longer before one of the guards finally shifted.

"Alright... but make it quick. Regent Elmar said we're not supposed to let anyone through, but since this is urgent we'll let you on ahead." The guards stepped aside and pushed open the door as slowly and softly as they could.

Alto looked between them with a confused expression, but said no more as he walked inside. The room was as spacious and large as ever, practically swallowing Alto whole. He still found his breath taken away by the grandiose atmosphere of the entire place. It still was hard to imagine things he had read in Lisette's books was this amazing in real life.

Just as he thought that, there was a low, loud noise. It reverberated throughout the room and nearly had him jumping out of his armor. Somehow, Alto managed to keep himself from crinkling the paper in his grip. Once the noise had sounded, it was followed by more noises. Low notes that echoed throughout the interior of the throne room itself and filled it to the brim with sound. What once were slow notes, they soon began to pick up speed and start to intertwine into a new sound.

It didn't take long for Alto to put two and two together; someone was playing the grand organ in the back of the throne room.

Considering the size of the organ, anyone on the grounds of the castle could hear it softly echoing throughout the castle whenever it was played. The first time Alto had heard the sound of the grand pipe organ, he nearly thought they were under attack. Archibald and Rusty had shared a good laugh at him, much to Alto's embarrassment. Archibald had later explained it was merely the Queen practicing. Rusty had promptly added on to the fact that Alto really was a country bumpkin if he had never heard music like that once before. Alto remembered ignoring his comment in favor of listening to the music itself. The tone was warm... but somehow it felt lonely.

Now that he was actually in the room where it played, it was much much louder than he expected. The notes felt like they were smacking into him, but each one held a weight he couldn't quite describe. The notes soon became tangled together in a flurry of sounds, but instead of sounding bad they came out soft and slow. The low notes continued into higher ones occasionally, but for the most part the song was slow. Alto found himself lost in listening to the tune, until he realized what he came for.

He tried to be as quiet as possible as he approached the throne itself. He passed the empty throne to where the person he was waiting for was just behind it. Queen Anastasia herself, carefully pressing at the keys with expert precision as well as the equal pressing of her foot to power the notes themselves. She was focusing intently on the sheet music in front of her. Her eyes never looked away for a moment and Alto had wondered if she had even heard him. He decided to wait behind her rather than interrupt her while in the middle of her practice.

Since becoming the Conductor, Alto noticed, was that he felt more attuned to music whenever it played. Unlike in Mithra, there were more times that music wafted from some corner of the city of Lambert. Still, the Conductor let the sounds flood his ears and carefully took them in. The tone was low, but somehow it was cheerful this time. The longer Alto listened, however, the more he realized how lacking it was. While he was lucky to be able to hear the Witches sing, it just made it more apparent how different their world was without the power of songs.

Music was still beautiful, still touching, but somehow... Alto just felt there was something missing. There were parts of the song that felt like notes should go into, but were met with a strange emptiness. The song felt _incomplete_ , Alto decided to himself. However, Anastasia continued on as if there were nothing wrong with the notes she was playing. Alto was wrapped up in the music that he hadn't noticed her notes slowly becoming softer and softer until she had stilled her hands. Alto blinked once at the sudden silent atmosphere before he looked at the Queen.

She was still staring at the organ, but her fingers had stilled. She removed them from the keys before gently smoothing them against her dress and letting out a quiet sigh. The knight frowned briefly before he smiled.

"That was a nice piece." Just as he said it, Anastasia straightened up before turning towards him. Her face held surprise, but that was to be expected. Once her eye were on Alto, the smile that beamed from her face was just as bright as her clothing. The Conductor could've swore she practically leaked sunlight into the room with her smile.

"Alto! It's good to see you!" She was immediately on her feet then, nearly pulling him into an eager hug.

"W-woah, _woah_! H-Hold on, Your Majesty!" Alto was quickly smothered by her hug, but Ana didn't seem too bothered by it one bit. He could practically feel the air leaking from his lungs.

"Alto! I thought I told you to call me Ana! Sheesh..." Her tone was firm, but her face still held a perky smile. She quickly released him from her death grip before Alto turned into some kind of deflated balloon. "Thank you. What brings you here? If I had known you were coming I would've skipped practice."

"Is that really a good idea...?" Alto asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, don't worry! Elmar wanted me to keep practicing even though there's so much work to be done. I think missing one session won't make my skills go that dull. Medea usually helps me with practice, but Elmar said if I got too reliant on her I'd never improve." She laughed at that and Alto suddenly realized why those guards were reluctant to let him in. Elmar probably had set it up so no one disturbed her while she was practicing... and Alto had gone and ruined that. Somehow, he cursed himself for not seeing that coming. He shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"A-anyway, I came to deliver the final revision of the Anthem. Commander Klaus asked me to give it to you... seeing as I'm the Conductor and all." Alto held it out to her gently. The Queen's eyes widened even further and she gently took it from his hands. Her smile had widened just a tad before she looked at him again.

"Thank you, Alto. Lambert and Regnant as a whole thanks you so much for your help. Without you, I don't know where we would be now." Anastasia praised him and Alto felt the heat going straight to his face again.

"If we have to thank anyone, it should be the Witches. They've worked harder than I have." Alto spoke up and the Queen nodded gently.

"You're right. They have done so much for us as well... the 9th as a whole has done its part in maintaining the peace of this land. There will be time to properly give thanks to all once the Anthem is complete." Her ever regal air quickly returned and Alto felt almost awkward for the sudden change. It wasn't long before Anastasia's warm smile returned and she moved away. She returned back to the organ and set the envelope gently against the music stand of the organ. Alto was just about to make his way out until she stopped him.

"Alto, have you ever played an instrument?" Anastasia suddenly asked, looking back at him. Alto blinked once from surprise before shaking his head.

"N-No, I've never really tried it. We didn't have a lot of instruments in Mithra and I'm much better at hunting than--" Before he could continue, the Queen quickly grabbed his arm and tugged on it.

"Well, come here then! Let's try it out!"

"Wh-what?" Before Alto could protest, he was suddenly being pushed to sit down on the bench Her Majesty had been sitting at moments prior. She excitedly scooted to the other side before looking at him eagerly. Alto felt even tinier under her gaze and stared back at her with an uncertain expression.

"Come on!" Anastasia said excitedly.

"Come on, _what?_ "

"Play something! It's okay if its bad! Here, I'll show you how!" With that, her gloved hands moved gracefully towards the keys. She gently placed her foot below the organ and gently tapped a few keys. The organ responded with a few loud notes before she turned back to him with a smile.

"See? Now you try." Alto stared at her before looking back down at the keyboards in front of him. There were so many...! Not to mention all the knobs and doohickeys hanging from the giant thing! How she expected him to play this, Alto wasn't sure. He raised his hands tentatively above the keyboard itself, unsure of where to even start. Did he press lightly? Did he press hard? He adjusted his foot underneath the pedals and gently stepped before pressing both of his hands on the keyboard at once. The organ replied with a horrible sounding note that resounded loudly and awkwardly throughout the throne room.

Alto winced. He really should've thought that through better. He glanced at Anastasia worriedly, but she had covered a hand over her mouth. For a split second, Alto had assumed he had offended her in some way. It wasn't long before, when he really looked at her, he noticed she was trying to hold in her laughter. Alto felt a pout replace his earlier worry faster than the note had faded away.

"I-I'm sorry Alto!" The Queen held back her giggles before flapping her free hand, "It was a good try, really!" Alto could only sigh and roll his eyes at that.

"Thanks... I told you before, I've never played anything!"

"You did, you did! I just didn't think it would be that bad!" Somehow she contained her giggles before composing herself. Alto was half worried Elmar would suddenly come barging in after that noise he had made, but the outer doors to the throne room never budged.

"Here, I can show you an easy song." Anastasia smiled and without another word of protest from Alto began playing again. She leaned over to the side and began fiddling with some of the knobs before her fingers began pressing on the keys again.

The notes were light and were played as if she had done it a thousand times. They danced together in a quick tempo and easy harmony and Alto felt hard pressed not to get swept up in the cheery tune. They were much different than the song she had been playing earlier. This one felt more complete, even if it was a simple tune itself. It wasn't long before she finished with a smile.

"You're really good at this," Alto breathed, staring back at the keys again, "I can't even keep track of all these keys and pedals myself." At that, the Queen laughed again.

"It's okay, Alto. I've had a lot of practice. When I was younger, my father taught me how to play." She her eyes trailed upward almost as if they were smiling themselves fondly at the organ, "It's sort of a tradition of the royal family. We've had this organ here for generations... ever since King Xeno's time."

Alto found his mouth agape at that. This thing was that old? It was almost surprising considering how well and in condition it was. Medea really had her work cut out for her... not to mention the people who kept it maintained like this.

"It's really that old? That's pretty impressive." Alto leaned back, following her gaze up along the golden pipes. The ornate patterns twisted in the pipes themselves were grand now that Alto could look at them up close. It almost felt nostalgic, but Alto couldn't quite place why. He had never seen an organ before, but its impressiveness still left him stunned.

"Yes... my family has been playing this organ since we came into royalty. My father taught me and my father's mother taught him. It was said that even King Xeno himself played this very same organ... in fact," She leaned in towards him and Alto felt his personal space shrink, "I heard even the hero Elcrest played this organ once. Isn't that amazing?"

"Yeah... that sure is something." Alto blinked in utter surprise. Even the hero _Elcrest_ had played this thing? Was there anything the hero Elcrest _didn't_ do? People sure were talented... even back a thousand years. The idea that all sorts of famous people had sat in the very spot he was sitting in, some boy from Mithra without a memory to call his own, made him very aware of his own history. He wasn't so sure it was his right to sit in this spot. Alto shifted uncomfortably, but Anastasia seemed to notice.

"Now that you're here, I have a favor to ask." The woman asked and Alto looked up curiously.

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind listening to me play a little longer? It is kind of lonely when no one else is around.... so it is a selfish request, really." Her smile faded at that and Alto felt a twinge of guilt. This place was so huge that it wasn't hard to feel alone in such a big place. Alto certainly felt it... and it wasn't like he was doing anything after this.

"I wouldn't mind listening to you play longer. It's really good after all." Alto smiled back and the woman returned it. On cue, she then returned back to her organ and resumed playing again.

Alto recognized this song; it had been the same one that had started when he had walked it. In fact, now that he thought about it, the song held a soft somber melody to it. There was a warmth behind its tone if Alto soaked himself into the song itself, but it was hidden underneath the power behind the former notes. As soon as it had started, it ended.

"What's that song?" Alto couldn't help, but pipe up once she was finished. The queen blinked for a moment before she leaned back a little. Her face shifted ever so slightly as if she was unsure about answering, but she continued on without any word wavering in her voice.

"Its a song I used to play with my father before he passed away. He said it was a duet piece so only two people could play it... and yet here I am, playing it by myself." She turned her head away from him to stare back at the wind pipes again, "But when I play it, I feel right at home. Its a nostalgic piece, I'll admit... but I still want to keep playing it even if the memories behind it are painful for me. Its just one way I can remember him by."

Anastasia let out a tiny sigh at that. Alto watched her carefully, but he could feel his heart go out for her. The only family Alto ever knew was Miss Rosa and Lisette... it would be hard to lose someone close to you. In fact, Alto couldn't even bare the thought Miss Rosa was gone forever. That was why they had to save her, no matter what. His hands curled into fists at that thought and he shifted in his seat.

"I think that's admirable. I don't really have much experience with music even though I'm a Conductor... but playing something that you and your father did together is still a way to honor that memory. I don't really have my own memories of my own parents so... I don't think you're insulting him or anything like that. He'd probably be happy to know you're still playing despite all your duties." Alto fumbled for his words for a moment there, but he hoped his meaning at least got across. Anastasia was looking at him now and Alto could feel her eyes boring into him. He blinked once back at her before he hurriedly looked away.

"Wh-what? Did I say something wrong?" Alto tugged at his collar under her gaze. Slowly Anastasia shook her head and a small smile appeared on her face.

"No. You're very kind, Alto." She said softly, and her eyes sparkled with appreciation, "...Since my father's death, I almost wanted to give up playing this organ. I thought it would hurt too much... and sometimes it does." At that she paused, grabbing one of her hands to hold it against her chest. She held it close to her heart, but her smile never wavered from her face.

"But hearing you say that... makes me think I can carry on a little longer. I know I have to... for my people and this land's sake. Its not just that; its not _just_ about duty. I _want_ to keep carrying on for them. Plus I've never stopped enjoying playing. I was almost a little jealous you got to spend so much time with the witches. Their songs are so warm and beautiful... it made me wish I had the power of the Conductor, too." Alto could feel her desire in her voice, but she continued on, "You know, I always wished I could accompany you all... and even play the witches' songs with their singing. That was a dream of mine for so long."

"I don't see why not." Alto said suddenly and Anastasia looked at him in sheer surprise, "I'm sure if you asked they wouldn't mind." It was there that the woman's face turned a bright shade of pink.

"N-No, I couldn't! I mean, they're busy preparing for the Anthem and, I mean, I've only learned some pieces on my own and what would I even say and--" Alto's loud _'snrk'_ cut her off. It was Alto's turn to start holding in his laughter.

"H-hey! Just what is so funny?!" Anastasia huffed, clearly flustered by his proposal.

"N-Nothing! Its just... Its really surprising to see you so flustered about that! You're usually so calm." Alto managed to choke out and Anastasia paused. Before long, they were both laughing together. The once large, empty room suddenly felt a lot warmer with their laughter filling it instead of the low melancholy tones of the organ. It took them awhile, but soon both of them composed themselves.

"Once the Anthem is complete, you should ask them." Alto finally said and the queen nodded.

"You know... I think you are right. Once all is said and done, I shall play with them." She repeated it again, as if it were giving her even more strength behind it. At that, she stood up and left Alto still seated. The woman gently reached out to take the revised Anthem, holding it between both of her hands. She quietly smoothed the paper out before turning back to him.

"Thank you, Alto. Let's both do our best to make sure the Anthem is complete... and once things settle, I hope you come see me and the witches perform." Her voice was warm and her smile was so broad the Conductor couldn't even hold his own back. Yes, the Anthem would be complete... and things would be restored. Once Hilda was stopped, they could finally all return to their normal way of life; maybe even a little better than normal.

"I'll make sure of it, Ana." Alto got to his feet and gave her a solid nod, "I'll look forward to it."


End file.
